Speak Not of the Blackbirds
by gh0sty
Summary: One mission gone wrong, 20-meter titans, an ancient forest, a mysterious town, and a race to return to the Walls called home. And perhaps, a quiet vow to return with the other safely by their side. rivamika, survival wilderness, D/s themes and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi everyone! This is a fic I've been nursing for a long while - months, definitely. It was my opportunity to live out my survival wilderness dreams, as well as write some Dom/sub RivaMika lmaooo. Fair warning, this is a fairly dark fic that will have blood/violence/etc. I might bump the rating later! But, for now, enjoy :)

* * *

Mikasa had never been one to feel like a rabbit. Even when she was small, she felt too burdenless, too loved to begin to worry about herself or fret for her mother and father. And as she got older - read: as she followed in the burning footsteps of Eren Jaeger - she would, unquestioningly, consider herself one of the most lionhearted people she knew. She knew no fear, not really. She breathed bravery. Embodied unstoppable. Deep down, Mikasa harbored something powerful and fiercesome, innate in her design.

Now, in the fading light of the late afternoon, all of these things were slowly stripping away from her like old paint, leaving Mikasa Ackerman shaken and breathless like the little girl at her core.

Climbing all around her were pines and oaks and beeches too old to discern; homes and buildings that had been abandoned long ago, sheltered by possessive, verdant vines of curtain and honeysuckle. The ground under her boots, she could barely make out, used to be a well-traveled road, but years of disuse had lead to loamy soil and mulch and leaves to replace it. Her surroundings held the sound of wilderness, cackling, long songs of cicadas, birdsong poetry, skittish squirrels.

And the heavy, drawn out footsteps, the low moans of titans.

The sun was encroaching on the massive treeline now, but the lingering rays illuminated her in the middle of what seemed to have once been a boulevard, frozen like a spooked deer. She was a sight to behold, if anything - the red light shone starkly on her crow-coloured hair and made her crimson scarf burn brighter and her gear gleam scarlet, with her head tilted up towards the skies, hands hovering over her blades as she scanned for titans.

_No_, she thought mutedly. _No. I must not die. I must not die._

But nothing in her moved, except her shuddering heart. Her bruises and cuts stung, and her fingers trembled like a wheat field in a breeze, and something in her thought it felt the burning sensation of eyes on her, but she could not move an inch.

She wondered if the rest of her troop was lost, too, or if they had the sense to make it out alive.

A smaller voice wondered, frightfully, if she was left alone.

* * *

Levi was, to start, unable to discern where or why things had gone wrong.

Formation had been accurate. He can remember with painful detail how relieved and impressed he had been with his legion for remaining in their appropriate positions, taking great care to stay where they were supposed to stay, and the stunning lack of back-talking.

Maybe that was why.

"Tch."

He swung his chin down and spat out a mouthful of blood with disgust. Currently, the sun was just on on the precipice of beginning to set, and he reckoned his squadron had about an hour of daylight left.

_Huh... That includes my sorry ass, too, now doesn't it?_

All around him were the remains of a time-worn village that had been abandoned God only knew how long ago, naturally, from titan intervention. It had been a failed attempt to establish a settlement, and Levi grimaced at a skull that he walked by, kicking it away with his heel. He didn't want to be reminded of how soon he might be joining the anonymous bones.

It was frustrating how much this place had thrived. To his left, he could see the remnants of what might have been a shopping area, with wooden signs creaking petulantly in the stale breeze, their ridges covered in moss. He was circled by the sounds of birds and trees and wilderness, and it was rich and looming, and he felt the faraway tremors of titans on the move and how they moved away from him. Probably towards his troop.

They wouldn't die. They were capable. Erwin was still with them, right? He could scarcely remember what happened, and the blow he'd taken to the head ached as he strained. They had just made it through a clearing, and then, bodies towered over them. They hadn't seen that they were on the edge of an ancient forest, one that was probably more primordial than he'd cared to fathom, and a fist came down to his left the size of a wagon, and he instinctively jerked forward and off of his whinnying horse, swinging himself as he launched his hooks into one of the giant trees.

There was immediate yelling, scattering, screaming. Things he was used to. Things he had to simultaneously tune out and monitor. The mass of titans they confronted were nearly entirely 15-meter classes or higher; bulky, ugly things with bulbous eyes that shone with the purest compulsion to butcher his comrades. He remembered scanning the mile of forest and field around him, soaking in the situation and the layout of the land as swiftly as possible, and then bellowing orders - he couldn't remember what he said, only that his command echoed around the wood and birds scattered and other officers began repeating his words to the lower-ranks. He felt, instinctually, after so many years, the chaos become a little more contained.

Then he moved.

Three of the beasts were coming at him, one of them already reaching a massive and grubby hand in his current tree, as if trying to pick him like an apple, and Levi bulleted past it, his maneuver gear whistling as his wires tried to keep up with his pace. He ricocheted around the back of the creature's tender neck, moved in close, and took out a fatal hunk of flesh; a clean-cut, no blood shed, lasting only a blink.

Everywhere now was the cacophony of gas tanks steaming and wires whirring and attempted communication. Out of the corner of his eye, a bushy-eyebrowed titan snapped at one of his soldiers', narrowly missing his ankle. His momentum carried him, and seconds later, he was on the monster's spine, raking his blades through it and slaying it as well.

He felt, then, something behind him, huge and breathing heavy. A trivial matter. His boot shifted, and moved without having to think, as usual - everything moved around him like a solar system, mapped out perfectly in his head, and then a pair of wire sung by his cheek, nearly piercing his jaw, and he had to duck hastily to avoid the girl who came screaming by. He knew immediately it was a piss-frightened newbie, and her interference was all the time the titan needed.

He heard a woman's voice scream his name with panic. Levi's legs were bent, about to sail away to a safer perch, and his head snapped just in time to see a 20-meter class bringing down its fist right over his head.

Reflex kicked in. The breath was nearly knocked out of him as the wires yanked him away from the corpse, but the titan just managed to knick him, just enough to make his course misalign and send him hurtling against a branch, where he slammed his head against the evergreen's trunk.

Levi was momentarily gone. The world was black, but his nails dug into the bark, and he clung to consciousness. He was dizzy, felt the hot drip of blood careening down the side of his face, and was unimaginably pissed. His legs wobbled, and he had to squint, left eye hindered by the blood flow, and he painfully counted an unpleasant amount of living titans compared to dead ones, and then growled out orders to every soldier he saw to get back into formation and retreat.

He would clean up the mess, he remembered thinking. He saw Hanji slitting through the irises of one with shouted apologies, and Petra sliding in behind it to cut its neck. He saw Mike handling a particularly burly 18-meter class, and three more people coming to help him.

He remembered the noise slowly die down as he focused on one particularly vicious one that was hounding after one of his terrified newbies, maybe the one who had nearly killed him, saw a telltale flash of red that he knew was Ackerman's security blanket, and in seconds, felled the thing. A minute later, he turned to see said newbie being swallowed whole by another titan, and Ackerman immediately slashing through its nape. For half of a second, she looked up and met his gaze, her eyes distant and guarded as always. But, he was her Corporal - he nodded in approval, which she returned, and then she was rocketing away.

And then he was alone.

When Levi finally stopped, he saw nothing but bodies, none of them breathing, few of them in one piece.

He never found his troop.


	2. Chapter 2

He thought he was going the right way, but, maybe he had a concussion, and maybe the rocking sensation akin to ricocheting bullets in-between his ears had made him thrown up enough that he couldn't think, and he may have been slightly deluded when he saw the beginnings of a town and believed he'd made it back. One of the first things he found was a well, and not a titan in sight, so he spat out blood and wiped his mouth, and pulled up the rope and bucket.

God was merciful. It looked clean enough, and parched beyond comprehension, he drank deeply. The water washed down his throat, divine and cool, and he drank until he was engorged on it, and even then he ran it over his aching, dirty ("_disgusting_") hands and splashed it over his face, blinking until he felt more conscious. Lastly, he filled his drinking pouch, and gently lowered the wooden bucket back into the recesses.

He kept walking. This lasted until he saw a distinctly human figure standing in the middle of the road, glowing scarlet under the setting sun. In Levi's painful and worn state, the colors of the scene all mixed and twisted into brilliant ruby and dark emerald, interrupted only by the slender form of the delicate person who was the forefront of the painting. There was something pathetic and beautiful about the image, all at once, and Levi felt his breath catch and himself nearly miss a step - though surely that was from his injury.

The wind came down the street, blowing leaves into the air and making the old trees groan, and a distinctly red scarf whip around the person. He shut his eyes tight, steadying himself, and opened them again to find his vision clear and sobering, though his blurry mind still felt a tinge of reluctance that his original sight was gone.

Mikasa Ackerman. There was no one else it could be.

He was met with a rush of blistering emotions, all conflicting and nauseating in their rush. First there was overpowering relief that felt just as good as drinking the well water. It was followed earnestly by confusion, as to why Ackerman was here, and especially why she was standing the middle of the road looking like an abandoned cat. And then indignation, fury as to why she had not obeyed orders and gone back with the rest of the soldiers. But, naturally, fury turned into concern - concern that one of the best soldiers he had was not with his troop...

Blood was piling in his mouth again, slowly, from where his teeth had ripped the inside of his cheek, and Levi spit on the ground before calling out.

"_Oi._ Ackerman."

* * *

Mikasa could not truthfully say the last time she'd been so relieved to see her Corporal.

Words rose in her throat and fell flat. Corporal Levi limped over to her, his expression worn and taciturn, and Mikasa could barely make herself move until he was right in front of her, where she finally took a long, shuddering breath, and broke out of her reverie.

"Corporal," she attempted to greet him, but she had barely taken in air and it came out breathless. She swiftly ran her palms over her eyes to calm herself. "You're alive..."

Corporal Levi spat blood out of the corner of his mouth, leaving a small bit to trickle down his chin, and causing Mikasa to study his face more closely, her eyes adjusting to the blinding final rays of sunlight making his face glow. The blood trembled down his chin; his dark hair was somewhat slicked back and damp with sweat, and the, most noticeably of all, a purple bruise was blossoming across his right temple towards his eye, marred by a coagulating scrape. Its size was painful. Despite his beaten state, he looked surprisingly clean... though this was Levi, after all.

"'Course I'm alive. Wasn't about to let a few mongrels eat and shit me out."

She restrained a smile, trying to contain her overwhelming rush of emotions. She bottled up her shaking fear, melancholy, relief and concern, and tried to channel it into a composed voice. "Are you all right?" she asked. Then, "Your head looks... unpleasant."

He, on the other hand, snorted as he looked away. "It's a scratch. I'm fine." His gaze returned to her, and Mikasa felt the uncomfortably warm sensation of his eyes combing her body from top to bottom, until he asked, "Are you hurt?"

Mikasa shifted her weight and shook her head.

"Mm. Good." Pause. "...I take it no one else is with you, Ackerman?"

"No, sir. I made it out alone."

"Tch. Marvelous. Regardless, you're not dead, but I wish you'd obeyed orders for once in your life. Color me surprised."

Mikasa bit the inside of her cheek and opted not to respond. Levi did not speak either - he became contemplative, staring off into the fading skyline, seeming somber, or bitter, or both. The sun had sunk lower now, leaving traces of orange lights and dark shapes on his skin, and reminding her that night would soon come.

"We should probably take shelter sooner rather than later," Mikasa finally said. Levi's head jerked to attention at her words and he winced as he did, alerting her to the fact that his plum-coloured wound was probably far worse than he'd care to admit. Nothing could be done, however - finding somewhere safe to hide would have to be their priority for now.

"Shouldn't be too difficult. I'm sure one of these decrepit shitsacks still has enough roof on it to get us through the night," he said, eyes combing the ghost town they stood in as he did. "Food can wait until morning. Have you had water?"

Mikasa frowned a little, and reached into her jacket to check her pouch. She squeezed it, and heard only a faint sloshing from the very bottom.

"I have some left. I'll be fine."

"I think not. There's a well back there, and it's still good. Clean up and drink your fill, then we're looking for cover."

Mikasa was going to protest, already fed up with his condescension, but the look in his eyes warned her not to complain. Mikasa grit her teeth, thought better than to put his face into the dirt, and stormed off without a word. As such, she quickly found the well, quenched her thirst gratefully, filled her pouch, and then began the search for shelter.

It was as the sun truly began to dissolve into twilight and a warm, uneasy grey filled the world that a sense of peculiarity truly took root.

Something was incomprehensibly unsettling about this town. Mikasa could not put her finger on it. She barely said a word, as did her companion, except from occasional necessary comments - they'd break down a door, discuss that there was too much rubble and broken glass and ruin to make the house habitable, and then trudge on to the next place. Many, many of the buildings had demolished roofs, or walls entirely blown out, and it was evident that titans had wrecked the area some time ago.

At least the wall was more or less up. Mikasa had never heard of this little area - Levi muttered something about it being a failed offshoot from the Wall Shiganshina, meant to be a possible watch for scouting, like a crow's nest of sorts - and it did nothing to quell the unnerved feeling in her chest. It seemed Levi picked up on this, for after peering into the fifteenth building and finding it unsuitable, he sighed and turned to her.

"Fuckin' wreck. If we don't find something here, we'll have to settle on one next to the wall." She understood with his point, and agreed: the closer to the center, the safer. But his topic took an abrupt turn. "Ackerman. Be honest with me: are you actually fine? Withholding information from me creates room for error, and I for one do not want to get fucked in the middle of this hellhole with no assistance in sight."

His language was harsh, he was wincing from where his injury was, and blood had dried on the corner of his mouth... but his words were not wholly unkind. Mikasa could not place why, but she reluctantly felt it was truly just the mark of a leader - the finality of his tone melded with something thoughtful; reliable? It was foreign to her, and her inability to identify it left her sour, but the safeness of his words still wrapped around her welcomingly.

She frowned, and pinched the inside of her sleeve. "I'm fine. Really."

"You'd better be. I don't have the patience or energy to waste on saving your ass."

Constellations were blotting the heavens by now, and a milky light from the arrival of waxing moon was all that illuminated the world. Levi looked impossibly steady in the moonlight, his cloak wavering in the breeze and his eyes reflecting the twilight silver. Mikasa felt words tumble into her mouth, but she could not speak them - her brow furrowed, and all she could think of was how she wished she knew if Eren was okay or not; how secretly relieved she was to for Levi's presence, so that she was not alone in this place.

She nearly stumbled midstep with that uncharacteristically kind thought about Levi, but took a breath hurried to continue towards the next house.

"Same goes for you, sir," she replied evenly. "You've nearly toppled over more than a few times, and I'd be grateful if I didn't have to haul your body back to quarters."

Levi snorted derisively. "As if. Your track record pisses itself under mine."

"Perhaps. But who's the one sporting a concussion?"

And there was nothing he could say to that. Mikasa spared him the hurt pride, for the house she looked in proved hopeful, and she added, "This one is in surprisingly solid condition. I think we're in luck."

She had to squint a bit in the dimming light, but it was apparent that the roof was still 3/4ths of the way on this one, and it had protected the inside of the little shack from a great deal of decay. The windows were all mostly broken, there were dead leaves strewn across the floor, and some leaks in the roof around a large hole on the other end that had left little puddles. But even so, Mikasa could make out a patch of miniature white flowers growing out of a crack, and the place was cosy, upright - and above all - adequate.

Naturally, Levi could not accept her judgment alone, and had to peer in for himself before deeming it satisfactory - which he did. Mikasa rolled her eyes, and he didn't see, thankfully, and they stepped inside.

A few minutes later, their gear was tucked away on a dilapidated shelf, and the arduous process of cleaning up enough space to sleep began. It was absurd - impressive, even - that with such an injury, Levi demanded their sleeping space be pristine.

But Mikasa was not resentful, though she wanted to be. On the contrary, her typical hatred seemed to be only a simmering disdain, and it was eclipsed by some want to fulfill her duty to the best of her ability. She didn't know why. This was the man who she'd watched ride in on horseback god knew how many times - even when he was brutally young, too - and the man who'd, like it or not, probably saved Eren's life more times than she could count. He was the man who stayed behind to correct her form when she did one-on-one, and still lead an entire troop in a way that gave them astounding faith, even til their deaths. A man who, really, she knew nothing about.

Levi was not a person who did things for show, not really. All of his words, bitter and poisonous, resounding and hopeful, blunt and dominating, were said with purpose and action to back it up. Mikasa had heard the whispers, knew she and him were birds of a feather, fortunately or not, in their battle ability. It wasn't something she liked, and it left a bad taste in her mouth.

But even these thoughts could not quell her drive. Mikasa reluctantly remained hard at work, even though she was tired, and still secretly rabbit-hearted, and the dark curtain of night was falling on them.

She nicked her fingers on glass shards twice, but managed to hide this from Levi, who was currently scrubbing portions of the floor and regularly blowing his bangs out of his face, mumbling something about needing a bandana. They cleaned in mostly silence, occasionally with Levi directing her because she'd missed a spot, but eventually the lack of light was too overwhelming to continue.

"That's enough for now, Ackerman."

Mikasa sat up on her knees as he did, breathing deeply in relief and wiping the sweat off her brow with the back of her arm. She had long discarded her jacket and rolled up her sleeves, and the sweat cooled quickly in the dusky night air. Out the old, cracked window in front of her, she could see the yellow moon had fully come up from behind the smattering of jagged, looming silhouettes of black trees, and wisps of fireflies passed lazily by the copious starscape. It was impossibly bright and hushed all at once; the wind cooed softly, and here and there, now and then, an owl would call out from the nothingness, and the crickets would not even falter. Mikasa could count a dozen shapes in the stars that peered between billowy clouds, but not see her own hand laid on her leg.

There were no sounds of horses, or restless sleepers down the hall. There were no patrolling soldiers, no sounds of boots on rock and concrete and muffled voices discussing plans.

Mikasa Ackerman felt very far away.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I would **very** much be lying if I said I didn't love writing this chapter ;)

* * *

Mikasa gave a start when her own cloak came down around her shoulders, and Levi took care to wrap it securely before dropping his own cloak in her lap. There. Now she wouldn't freeze to death in the middle of the night.

Naturally, she looked up at him immediately, the question _why?_ shining plainly in her canny, dark eyes.

"You're going to sleep while I keep watch. It'll get colder as the night goes on, so you'll need those. I'll wake you up in a few hours."

Levi almost felt like dropping dead. It was nothing but sheer will keeping him on his feet at this point. He would roll in mud right now if it meant sleeping, but he would not, because he was the Lance Corporal and he'd sooner snap his legs off than show weakness now and leave Ackerman to coddle him.

"Absolutely not. I can remain awake for days if need be, and I am perfectly able-bodied. This is absurd," she retorted.

"You seem to be forgetting your place, _soldier_," he snapped back, pain making him even more irritable than the norm.

"With all due respect, _sir_, I don't think I'd rest easy knowing you haven't."

"Oh, come off it, brat. However touching your concern for my well being is, I assure you that it takes a lot more than a cat scratch to decommission me. Now. Go to sleep before I make you."

He had an inkling that the girl's fists were balling up, and he inwardly smirked at her anger, knowing she had given up. How perfectly precious. She really had no control of her emotions.

"Wake me up the second you think you hear something." These were her parting words, and they were biting in tone. With that, the girl sprawled out his cloak in the cleared corner of the room, creaking the wooden floors, and laid on her back in the moonlight. Unsurprisingly, she tucked the scarf carefully around her neck and chin before laying her arm over her face, blocking her eyes.

Levi detested that scarf. With the frequency in which she wore it, she didn't wash it nearly half enough, and he did passingly ponder why she was so devoted to the thing.

But the matter was trivial. Levi was pained, exhausted, and in for a very long night. Outside, all was calm and soft, dark blues and ghostly whites, tiny sparkling lights, and a continued conversation of nocturnal life he would not be privy to. He heard no titans, but he always might, at any second. If he let his guard down, it could always mean death. Death didn't fuck around. It didn't pick sides. It didn't give second chances, and it sure as hell didn't show mercy.

Levi knew this very, very well. And he kindled this old fear in him, feeding on it, using it to keep his eyes from shutting and sending him to sleep.

* * *

It was fucking freezing.

Every time Mikasa thought she'd found sleep - after long trains of thought about being eaten in her dreams, about Levi dying from the cold or waking her too late, she quelled these thoughts and crept closer to unconsciousness, only to be briskly jolted back to reality where it was cold as sin. And she'd roll over, tuck the evergreen cloaks around herself more tightly, readjust her scarf and press her hair closer to her cheeks, and try and try and try, and never make it to restful oblivion. She wearily accepted that she'd probably not get any sleep, which was even more irritating, because she'd rather be taking the first watch shift as opposed to dealing with this. But no, naturally, Corporal Levi was as pretentious as they came. Mikasa hated the high and mighty, who felt it was their god-given right to rest their boot heels on the lower, treating them like footstools. Corporal Levi would sooner lose a limb than accept her as an equal and not some snot-dribbling private. And even then, he'd probably remind her over and over how he was the better soldier anyway.

"For Christ's sake, Ackerman, what's the problem?"

Mikasa sat up instantly, alert and bleary-eyed, and she rubbed her palms against her face with smoldering anger.

"Whh, what?" she quipped.

"You haven't been still in an hour. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Half-awake, woefully cold, Mikasa snapped back, "In case you haven't noticed, it's practically a cold cellar in here."

Things went quiet. For a split second, Mikasa felt a twinge of guilt for responding with such vitriol. Levi didn't reply, and Mikasa hastily flumped back down to the floor, preparing to try and cosy up again, but was interrupted when her Corporal stood and quietly walked across the room to her. He had been in the doorway at first, sitting cross-legged with his hands gruffly on his knees and his eyes focused hard on the shapeless horizons, but now he was situating himself at her side.

"Scoot," he ordered.

Mikasa, confused and trying to adjust to the low visibility, cautiously moved herself against the wall and was very nearly alarmed when she felt his cold legs press in beside her. Levi was resting with his back to the wall, right beside her.

"It'll keep us both warm," she thought he said, or mumbled more-so. And it dawned on her that Levi was probably on the verge of hypothermia, because _she_ had both of their cloaks.

Her mind blanked with shame before she inwardly began cursing and cursing her idiocy. Mikasa made to sit up and began pulling up the cloaks. And Levi drawled, "The hell are you doing?", and Mikasa said, "Sitting up." So Mikasa sat up properly, now both of their backs against the wall, side to side, and let out a long breath that clouded in front of her. She closed her eyes, immeasurably exhausted, but could feel him trembling unwillingly next to her, his body betraying how cold he was. She couldn't help it. She felt sad. Stupid. Accepted that body heat was body heat, and she didn't want to be responsible for her Corporal's death.

"I'll stay up with you a bit longer," she said, looking out the window and not at him. Majestic clouds were meandering towards the moon, preparing to cover it for some minutes. She draped both layers of cloak around them, her fingers nudging against his knuckles during this, and quickly pretended nothing had touched.

"Thoughtful of you."

She didn't know how to respond, so she just fumbled with the cloaks more until they were more adequate.

Properly situated, snuggled, sitting, and awake, Mikasa thought this was when one would normally strike up a conversation; her mind came up blank. She felt wholly young and foolish. Socializing was not something she typically did, not outside of Eren and Armin anyway. Most peoples' company was forced on her - Jean, Sasha, and so on - and she wracked her brain trying to think of what on earth someone would make small-talk with Corporal Levi about.

Mikasa Ackerman blurted out, "It's cold."

She literally felt herself blush, something that never happened. It was a rare moment when Mikasa could not reasonably figure out what to do with herself, though when it came to social nuances, she supposed it wasn't her forte...

But, against all odds, Levi snorted something she took to be a real laugh on his part, and he curtly replied, "Why yes, it is. Beautiful weather we're having."

A real smile of her own half-caught her lips, and she curled her knees up to her chest.

"I didn't know what to say," she said honestly. Levi tilted his head, rolling his eyes, she was sure, and he said, "I could tell. At least you're not a liar."

"Lying can be advantageous in the most important situations. Am I wrong?"

"No, no you're not wrong. Lying can save one from many a precarious situation. But, lying to me is unacceptable."

Mikasa withheld a laugh, tucking her face into her scarf.

"Noted. Do you lie often, sir?"

Levi turned to her, his eyes still piercing in the deep grey. The moment her gaze met his, every hair on her body stood, and something like a furnace swelled up in her, leaving her both burning and chilled to the bone. His expression was unreadable, unreachable, and Mikasa felt possessed to reach out and touch his skin, that dimly shone in the moonlight... But the moon had bowed to the clouds at just that moment, and she watched as his head slowly lowered, and the cover of cloud's shadows crawled over him, overtaking his form.

"No," he whispered. The air around them felt so fragile. "Not really. Not anymore."

She could feel his breath, falling just across her own mouth, and she curled her hands between her legs before she succumbed to the urge to touch him.

"Anymore?" she repeated.

"I used to do something like lying for a living... But it was a long time ago, and I'm far better at just beating things to a faceless pulp."

"Sometimes communicating that way is just easier."

"Indeed. So much less stress than dealing with paperwork and officials and brats." He said this not unkindly. Mikasa supposed he had a soft spot in him after all. "I was always more of a physical person. Which reminds me... Ackerman, before I was separated from the squad, you were one of the last people I saw, and you were butchering a fifteen meter class. How did you end up here?"

Mikasa furrowed her brow, thinking hard. Things were mostly a blur - blood, flesh, steam, bodies - and the sounds of her blades singing through the air, the scent of heat and unearthed soil.

"I was killing titans," she began, thoughtfully. "And then... I turned around, and no one was there. The trees were so tall I couldn't even see a trail. So I just started moving, and eventually saw a wall, and... simply came in."

_And froze like a damned rabbit_, she thought bitterly.

Levi made a sound of understanding.

"You?"

"Tch. I was careless. Let myself be led too far away from the formation. Thought I could take care of it."

"Mm."

Pause. A long pause. She was certain that he'd say something, something important. But it never came, as if he decided against it.

"...You should really get some sleep, you know."

"Maybe I don't want to sleep yet."

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her cheeks exploded into red, and Mikasa crammed her eyes shut, in disbelief she had said that to her superior. _Damn it, damn it, what do I say now? I-_

"_Oi._ Ackerman."

Corporal Levi's nimble fingers came to rest on her chin, which he tilted up to his gaze; Mikasa was forced to look into his face. Mikasa was left to watch the traitorous clouds slowly reveal his profile again, pale light spilling into the sheltered room. His eyes were hard and taunting and looked straight through her and she felt something like her heart missing a beat, or perhaps five.

"As much as you like disobeying me, I must insist," he said softly.

Her lips parted. She had no idea what to say.

"I... You..."

"Me...?"

"I... ...Yes, sir."

The most blood-curdling crooked smile dragged across his mouth, and he almost breathed out, "Good girl." before letting her chin go and settling in comfortably.

Mikasa didn't remember falling asleep after that. She could feel, so clearly, how much warmth radiated from Corporal Levi after they'd sit together long enough, and how it all trapped so perfectly in their little cocoon. She remembered her heart racing. She remembered how at first, they were both so awkward about touching, but slowly, she'd come to let her arm rest against his, and their knees bump and stay in place, and her hand deftly remain against the sleeve of his shirt, where she could feel heat resonate from his skin underneath.

She remembered, only a little, how her head nodded forward, only to jerk back up.

And - she wasn't sure if she dreamt it or not - perhaps a thin hand moving it, to rest comfortably on a strong shoulder.

* * *

"Goodnight..._ Mikasa_."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: This chapter is a bit short, sorry! ;A;

* * *

Mikasa woke up and nearly had a heart attack.

There were the sounds of birds and cicadas calling. A breeze was blowing, and she breathed in and the scent didn't match these things. It was a heady, masculine scent; it blended in with the scent of pine, almost like a strongly brewed tea. Then, she realized that she felt like she had been hit by a boulder, or twenty. She was bruised, incredibly stiff around the neck, but still comfortably sprawled and warm.

Slowly, she opened her weary eyes, squinting in the early morning sunlight as they focused, and then adjusted to crack her neck.

She was laying on the ground now, for one. And she was nestled in very close to the wall, but also, something that was firm and warm in a way that was completely relaxing - and, as she breathed in again, it seemed to be the source of the tea-like scent - and she blinked, now quite awake. She tilted her head up, her cheek dragging against warm fabric, and looked right into the inquisitive gaze of Corporal Levi.

Mikasa stared. She stared longer than she realized, or meant to. Then, without a word, she reached out her hand, tentatively, and touched his buttoned-up chest, pressing, to make sure everything was real. It was. Levi seemed to be staying very still, but his eyes openly scrutinized her face, every inch of it, and Mikasa felt her hair fall across her cheek.

She said the first thing that came to mind.

"Are you awake, or are you sleeping?"

Her Corporal replied, evenly, "Having some bizarre dream, I'm sure."

There was a pause as she ascertained.

"I... see. Your... Your bruise looks worse, sir."

"Is it?" He looked only momentarily conflicted before he added with uncharacteristic sincerity, "I like that you call me 'sir', Ackerman."

There they were, laying on the wooden, decrepit floor. The sunlight streamed in from the broken window above them, filling the room with a warmth and yellow glow, and it smelled like morning. Levi looked different than usual; different in a way that she couldn't place her finger on. Wasn't this the conceited excuse of a Corporal who held a mutual disdain against her for so long? It couldn't have been. He looked too human now, more real than she could have ever remembered him being. Only small inches from his face, everything about him was magnified and tangible - _he_ smelled like pine and musk, and it was dizzying. His eyes were very dark, a color she couldn't place, and from here she could see the faint edge of his cheekbones, thin and subtle and softening into a flattering jawline. His brow, too, was sharp, and fit perfectly over his usually piercing gaze, but now it only left a faint crease in the center as he studied her in turn.

Then, his mouth. This was the most dangerous part of him. Levi's mouth was smooth and steady, moved perfectly when he spoke to others: enunciating every drawling, sarcastic, caustic remark, and snapping out every calm and calculated command. It was a mouth that was the weapon for his control, his power. Every centimeter he lacked in stature was made up for with his words. Many soldiers had impressive skills and ability on the battlefield, and each and every one of them could be crushed under the weight of Levi's cruel tongue.

It was dangerous, because his eyes, she realized too late, followed hers. Saw her looking at his mouth. Mikasa wasn't sure what her face looked like, in that instant, and knee-jerk reaction won over as she stumbled over her words, "...You're... You're welcome...? I, um, should find you-something-foryourhead."

Her heart was racing so loudly she was sure that he could hear it, and she thought her face felt hot, and the rush of mortification at her current state in front of her Corporal motivated her to react. With great difficulty, she hurled herself out of "bed" as hastily as possible, and she tried not to look suspicious (she was not very successful). A voice in her head sighed at her, and another had a meltdown, and another didn't say anything because it was currently in a ball in the corner, pretending none of this was happening. No, no she hadn't gotten separated from her troop like some stupid rookie. Not at all! And of course she didn't remain lost and unable to rejoin them. And, ha-ha, there was no way in hell she wound up in an abandoned town in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by titans and with her knees locked. And above all, it was_ impossible_ that her Corporal had been the person to find her, and he be lost as well! So since that was_ impossible_, her waking curled against one very half-asleep Corporal Levi was utterly _unthinkable_!

Of course.

Mikasa touched her fingertips to her hot cheeks, her mind racing as she tried to count her breaths and calm down. What was she going to do now? Right, right, she needed to get redressed. She needed to find food, maybe, and go get medicine, because his bruise looked agonizing. Mikasa did a splendid job of failing to keep her balance as she shoved her boots on, her back to her Corporal as she tugged on her jacket and scratched her fingers through her thick hair. Her gear was heavier than she remembered, and awkwardly loud as it clanged on, and her trembling fingers seemed to fumble with the buckles in a way they didn't use to. But she got it, and once she meticulously unwound and repositioned her scarf, she was set to go, and ready to stop feeling a pair of eyes on her back, and-

"Ackerman."

Mikasa halted, and spun in place, peculiarly not able to make eye contact with the person who the voice belonged to and opting to burn a hole in the ground with her staring instead. In a pile of dirt and fractured pebbles, a tiny centipede crawled away.

"Yes, sir?" Sir._ Ugh_. Her stomach rolled, and it almost felt good. That reminded her, she was sorely hungry, and noted to look for anything edible while she searched for any herbs she could use for his wound.

Levi was sitting up properly now, mussing his hair tiredly and yawning.

"Out of curiosity, why are you so attached to that old scarf?"

_Of all the questions to ask..._ Indignant, and maybe a little embarrassed to be discussing this with him of all people, Mikasa begrudgingly replied, "Eren Jaeger gave it to me." _Not that it's any of your damn business._

She continued to move towards the doorway - a rich, dark blue and peeling around the edges.

"So? You never take the thing off. It isn't nailed to your throat, is it?"

This conversation was ridiculous. Mikasa frowned, and stopped again, and said petulantly, "No, it is not nailed to my neck. It's very precious to me, because... he gave it to me when he saved my life. If you're planning on taking it from me, I-."

"Saved? I never thought I'd hear someone other than me had to save your ass, of all people."

Emotions she couldn't pin down roiled in Mikasa's chest. She felt boiled over and empty, and in her head, was hit with a vivid mixture of the sunshine at her old home and the smell of her mother's garden, and the sound of stew cooking, and how rich it tasted. Of her father's arms, and her mother's hands guiding her own through needlepoint.

Then, the coppery scent of blood in the air and how it feels on your tongue no matter how tightly you hold your breath. The valley of her mother's neck, gaping and crimson as the sunset. Eren's voice that was already too large for his young body, shattering the world around her, a blade splintering between her tiny hands...

"I was very young," she stated, not a hint of distress in her voice. "It was the day I lost my family. Eren saved me, and gave me this scarf before his family took me in. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to go. I'll be back in an hour."

She was certain he'd said something after this, telling her to halt or wait or hold on, but she focused hard on going outside. Sunshine trickled through the town as she stepped out and the morning was fresh and dewy, and her presence had startled away a little flock of doves pecking at the ground. She stormed away, leaving her superior behind her, and stuck to the long shadows that the early sun had cast across the crumbling buildings.

Truly she was glad to be distracted. Around her, she couldn't hear any footsteps or groans, which hopefully meant the titans were not near. But the overgrown town was still full of life. When danger wasn't quite present, and when she forgot that she was starving and alone and could plausibly die at any moment, the world here was enchanting and story like - like a beautiful, old, forgotten garden she could've dreamt up as a child.

Indeed, flowers seemed to be emblazoned across the old cobblestone road, most of which was packed away under years of mulch, but there were daisies and vines and trees growing straight up out of some of the homes. Verdant mosses hung from aged signs and torch holders and overhangings. A movement caught the corner of her eye in one home, and she saw a barn owl taking refuge for sleep in the rafters. The symphony of wind in the heavy branches, and chirping insects and chattering songbirds all rolled down the alleyways and surrounded her, and store signs and boughs creaked as the breeze lazily went on by, sending her hair flying.

It was a unbelievably inviting day. Mikasa breathed in and smelled nothing but lively, clean air, and remembered where she really was and what was really happening; but, thought it better to not dwell on it. She popped open her pouch and took a swig of water, swishing it around her mouth and swallowing. Remembering the providential well, she considered visiting it to splash water on her face.

But until then, she needed good herbs to work with, and maybe a way to acquire food.

(And, honestly, to get a break from one injured Corporal, and all the trouble that his presence brought with him.)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Hi everyone! It's Valentine's Day! I had a really wonderful dinner with my significant other, who actually dressed up for once in his life and was a charming bastard. We went to Olive Garden ;u; I hope all of you had a good day, had lots of yummy chocolate, and told someone you loved them!

Anyway, this is the longest chapter so far, and I wanted to thank all of my SUPER sweet reviewers. I was hoping my scenery descriptions weren't too obnoxious or wordy, and I appreciate everything you all have said. I love writing. I love reading everyone's impressions. Thank you for being the best x) Now, onto words that involve Levi, Mikasa, and a quest for nutrition!

* * *

The morning stroll lasted some time before Mikasa began to consider giving up. She had walked the perimeter in contemplative silence and finally returned to the boulevard to go to the well, only to see a splotch of yellow in a house gutter. Mikasa squinted at it before she wandered over, peering up to examine a little patch of bright yellow flowers that nearly looked like daisies. But if she were in luck... They seemed too small, and their leaves were a little fuzzy, and she smiled as she grappled onto the roof, shooing away a honeybee, and plucking away a few sprouts of what she knew to be flourishing arnica. It was exactly what she was hoping for.

She opted next to find a good, round stone, and maybe venture into a few houses for a passable bowl or cup. This was more difficult, but one home had an entire dinner set, caked in dirt and mold, mostly uncracked. The stone wasn't of much consequence - any that could comfortably fit in her hand was fine - and Mikasa settled on one she found just outside of the well.

Certainly she looked a little silly. She had taken off her jacket to carry the plateware in more quietly and easily. She needed the quiet to make sure she didn't attract any passing titans - however, most peculiarly, the titans seemed to stray away from this little sanctuary, probably assuming rightfully that they had demolished it of human life (however, one did stumble by some distance away and Mikasa had to make a spectacular dive for the bushes; it didn't see her, and went on its way). Now, her jacket was slung over her shoulder, and the arnica was tucked carefully behind her ear.

So then came the question of food.

Food, more than likely, meant going outside the wall. Mikasa doubted waiting for deer to roam in would be productive, but she was also concerned that hunting meant having to take Levi with her. She was stubborn, and fiercely independent, but Mikasa knew going outside alone was probable suicide, and that was something she did not intend on risking.

When she arrived at the well, she stopped to let herself think.

The water was just as cool and refreshing as she remembered, and she gladly dripped some along her neck and splashed more on her face. It made a pretty sound as the droplets fell back into the well, and Mikasa stood there with her arms rested on the stone as she stared into the hole, and her thoughts drifted.

She wondered if Eren was okay. The thought of Eren Jaeger brought the burning of tears to her eyes, and her body shook a little, but she shut her eyes and bit it back.

She wondered if the rest of the group had made it back. No, no... how _many_ of them had made it back. She was sure in her bones they did. Equally certain that Eren had been one of them. He was strong and passionate, and something about him made him seem so immortal, though she knew fully well he wasn't. A small smile came across her lips, and she leaned down, resting her head on her arms.

She hoped she would get to see him again. Dying in the woods, alone, didn't feel very right to her at all.

"No... not alone," she murmured to herself. Her words echoed down the stone walls and back up again. Fascinated, and full of a new childlike-wonder, she spoke again.

"Corporal Levi is with me." Corporal Levi is with me, Corporal Levi is with me, Levi is with me, _with me_.

_We won't die out here. Not here, not now. I won't let it happen._

A small sound from her left spurned her from her little bubble, and Mikasa's head shot up to see a rabbit gingerly making its way down the road. Her heart hardened, gaze stiffened. If she could catch it... A passing thought - Levi smirking at her, impressed, thanking her for being capable. She shook her head fiercely and tried to imagine creative ways to kill the hare.

Mikasa was there for a full few minutes contemplating on how best to go about it. She was too slow to run up at it, and too loud to sneak up on it. She could fix her speed by using her gear, but she needed to preserve the gas she had left if at all possible.

She didn't have the string - or the know-how - to craft a bow and arrows, but a spear might do.

Then it hit her.

With all the stealth she could muster, Mikasa found her balance, and fell lightly and silently to her knees like a ghost. Using her fingertips for support, she daintily began crawling forward, a cat stalking its prey.

The rabbit was seemingly unused to human presence, as it nervously hopped a little further away, but continued foraging.

_Ignore me. Stay there. Stay still._

She inched forward. Tension was tight in her thighs, and a bead of absent water rolled down her temple, mingling with sweat. The rabbit seemed stationary, and Mikasa went for her triggers with painstaking slowness, gripping them tightly in her hands and adjusting the alignment of her hips...

_Now!_

The hooks burst from their holds more loudly than Mikasa had ever heard before, and birds frantically pelted from the boughs they hid in nearby, sending leaves and acorns falling to the ground. The rabbit bolted, and Mikasa watched with her breath held for the one second where the wire trailed after the creature, and the stupid thing was too fast, and changing its running pattern, and Mikasa hissed a swear as the hook _ping_ed fruitlessly against the cobblestone road.

She wasn't giving up. From her crouching position, Mikasa sprang out, hurtling herself after the animal. She regained ground on it, and saw the hare orient itself towards the bushes, and Mikasa cussed again, narrowing her eyes.

_I have time for one more shot._

She calculated in microseconds, hyperfocused on the its feet, watching its direction and speed, and she tilted herself, and aligned, and then pulled the trigger again.

The hook sailed hard and true. It sliced the air where it went by, and more doves abandoned the roads and alleys near her, frightened of the noise and conflict, and then, with a dull _clang_, Mikasa stared at a dead rabbit, pierced clean through the back.

She sighed a perfectly exalted breath and untensed, completely relieved and disbelieving her plan had worked. Mikasa went to retrieve her catch, and carefully slid her hook closed before pulling it out of the hare.

It was brown, and not very large, but god help her it was food. Mikasa lifted the body by the ears, and made her way back to the well, where she retrieved her jacket, and then started back towards Corporal Levi, feeling much better than she did when she had walked out.

* * *

_Where is that damn girl?_

Levi was unhappy. Unhappy was an understatement. Levi was infuriated.

He had, to start, fallen asleep whilst being on watch, something that had literally never happened in his life. He had stayed awake for three days at a time, easily, and here he was, with a minor bruise and in a surprisingly comfortable shelter, and he had passed the fuck out.

But, it didn't end there. He had passed the fuck out on _Mikasa Ackerman_. Yes, the other member of Humanity's Strongest. Yes, the one with the ink-black hair, with the licorice-coloured eyes who could beat a corpse in a staring contest. Yes, indeed, the one with the stupid scarf, and the quiet temper, and merciless battle capabilities.

The one who who called him _sir_ in a way that almost made the hair on his neck stand on end.

He'd fallen asleep on her, after letting her fall asleep on him (_she had been so goddamn warm and criminally soft and reminded him of..._). And he recalled, just, momentarily resting his head on hers, catching the scent of her hair which was so plainly her and feminine, which surprised him somehow, and then he remembered opening his eyes to rich sunrise lighting, a cool breeze, and her body comfortably curled around his on the ground.

Not entirely awake, he stared at her for some time. He studied her features, unaware of time passing. She looked so different when she slept. Her brow was normally stern and she always held such an austere expression, which he respected, but... there was something to be said for a peaceful Mikasa Ackerman. A content Mika- _Ackerman_, who wasn't concerned with reminding him of his height and disobeying his orders, and lusting after that Jaeger brat.

And now, in a display of sheer brilliance, after getting to watch her gear up (Levi refused to acknowledge the way his gut clenched every single time she fastened a belt around her thigh, and how he finally had to look away), he had driven her out of the damn house and she'd been gone for an hour, and frankly? Levi was steadily growing anxious that he shouldn't have let her go.

His migraine didn't help any.

And then he heard footsteps; her figure appeared at the entrance.

_Is this a joke? This must be a joke. Ackerman has finally snapped and decided to try out her using funny bone._

Mikasa Ackerman came inside, scraping the filth off her boots at the doorsteps. He thought maybe he felt his heart twitch. And she was standing there, then, with her jacket balled over her shoulder like a knapsack, and flowers - fucking flowers - in her hair, and a dead rabbit in her free hand, hole going clean through it and blood dried on its fur.

Levi didn't say a goddamn word.

"Are you okay?"

Mikasa glanced at him as she asked, her gaze back to being dutifully reserved, but he caught her tucking her bottom lip into her scarf and knew better. _Fucking hell, Ackerman_.

"I'm... fine," he replied unsurely, still attempting to process the vision of the newfound forest goddess. "I see you haven't learned how to play nice with the wildlife."

She gave him a withering look, and said, "I can put the rabbit back, if you'd like."

_Tch_. "I suppose I can let it slide. So, how did you convince the thing to put a hole in itself?"

"I shot it."

"With?"

Mikasa rolled her head, cracking her neck followed by a yawn as she dragged out a somewhat rotting table from the corner of the home. She laid out her jacket on it, the clinking and slight shine of the contents revealing what seemed to be aged bowls and plates and cups. And a rock.

_God help me, she's going to kill me_.

"The 3D Maneuver Gear."

Levi blinked. And stared.

"And what are the flowers for?"

"They're mountain arnica. They're a useful treatment for bruises and sprains."

Something seemed off. They remained in silence, with Levi watching her procure a bowl from the heap of dishes and pluck a flower from her hair, placing it in the bowl and then pouring a bit of water from her pouch into it.

You're kidding me.

Then, she took the rock into her hands, and began grinding. It was a makeshift pestle and mortar.

And then, it dawned on him.

She was purposefully avoiding calling him 'sir'.

Corporal Levi leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, trying to withdraw his smirk.

"You're really something else, aren't you."

Mikasa ignored all traces of his teasing and replied, "As long as I am strong, I'm fine with that." She plucked another flower from her hair, and added it to her bowl. Levi was horribly amused. On the table beside her, steadily bleeding, was the dead rabbit that she pulled out of her ass. Doing no good there, he figured now was a good a time as ever to get up and actually do something.

Finally, she turned to him, pausing her work.

"I don't think you should be getting up yet." If she thought he was some sort of cripple who was going to lay around all while she played housewife, she had another thing coming.

"I'm perfectly fine, as I keep reminding you. Now, did you happen to find any flint while you were treasure hunting?"

In a split second, in the midst of him cracking bones and kneeling as he tried to start getting up, feeling sorer than ever, she had whipped something out of her pocket and tossed it to him. It was fast, but he nabbed it with a scowl.

_Christ, is there any corpse this brat didn't unearth?_

"Be careful, sir."

Oh? Sir again? Music to his ears.

"Ackerman, I have slain inordinate amounts of titans. I have lead entire units through battles, I have killed people, and I am your superior officer. Enlighten me as to why you think I will set the entire damn building on fire."

The sound of the stone on the bowl, grating and mushy and clinking, filled the air. Mikasa paused only to push her hair back, and she never added the last flower.

"I never said I thought you'd burn the place down. Moving around more than necessary can worsen your wound, and like I said, I'd be grateful if I didn't have to haul your body back to quarters."

Levi sighed. What happened to the temperamental girl who seemed so ready to bite his head off? It pissed him off. She was making him useless and handicapped, but... he knew she wasn't doing it purposefully - she simply wanted to make it out of here alive, and she wanted him to make it back with her. No differently than if it had been the other way around.

His gaze softened on the floor, and he replied, "But I'd sooner be carrying you back than the other way around. Don't get ahead of yourself."

He didn't catch her smile; her hair was covering her face, too much in the way.

Mikasa was protectively reluctant, but let him go outside to get enough wood to start a flame in the fireplace. He came back with his arms full, looking pretty silly, but she had the decency not to say anything and they soon had a small fire going. The rabbit would've also been his responsibility, however, when she caught him ready to behead the creature, she swiped it from him and cleanly skinned it instead.

He was not pleased.

He didn't question the turning in his stomach, not all unpleasant, as he watched her cut and cook the thing, the way the firelight hit her skin, looking uncannily familiar to a way he'd seen her before.

Like the way she looked when she was in the middle of an abandoned town, basking in the full glow of the setting sun.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** A long, sexy chapter ;) Also, thank you nightliliesu, BloodStainedSilver, and OniKuShita for being such wonderful people ;u; Enjooooooooy!

* * *

"Can you please stay still?"

"I'm still eating."

One cooked rabbit and three arguments later, she was currently being more meddlesome, now trying to smear her medicinal salve on him. It was cold, and smelled grassy, and Levi was one hundred percent sure it was going to make him look like a fool, poison him, or both.

"Thank you."

She said the words under her breath; she probably said them out of habit more than anything. But Levi struggled less, and it quietly became apparent to him - the proximity between him and her, how she was practically in his lap but she didn't look nearly as angry as him. Her skin was a little damp with sweat, but she rubbed it away on the sleeve of her shoulder, and resumed looking intently focused on his bruise. Never once did she press too hard, or scratch him, or hurt him - her fingers were cool and precise and when he stopped to pay attention, the salve was actually very soothing on his injury.

_How the hell does she have the know-how to do this, anyway?_

"You're good at this," he muttered, and she looked at him. He wasn't ready for it, the intensity of a stare that was quiet and genuine, and he forgot himself when he saw her mouth move as she said, "Thanks." Her mouth was infinitely more pleasing when she smiled. Levi irritably averted his gaze.

"How'd you learn apothecary methods?"

"My adopted father was a doctor."

_Adopted? Ah, of course, the Jaeger brat._

"So you got hurt a lot."

"Not really. I just watched him."

It was a testament to her ability. And Levi had the feeling that was truly all there was to it - Mikasa simply watched and learned. He had no doubt she probably knew how to treat burns, bites, lacerations, what have you, and it left him feeling more impressed than anything.

Mikasa Ackerman was clever and he had to give her that.

"That should be enough for now. I'll try storing what I have left, and it should last another day or so."

The next words hung in the air, potently unspoken. Levi, before then, was more easily distracted due to the throbbing pain of his bruise that enveloped his entire head straight to his jaw and left his neck tense, but her salve was settling in, and the longer the silence dragged on, the more acutely aware of it he was. Slowly, surely, mercifully, his ears which had been ringing (he'd become desensitized to it overnight), cleared up and he heard the life of the woods outside. His vision in his left eye, once vague and watery, turned crisp and bright. The pain ebbed. His balance returned to his head.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, watching his expression carefully. She must've known it was working. Levi turned away, unwilling to meet her eyes as he admitted, "I'm fine. ...The medicine is good, thank you." _God_, that was hard to say to her. No... no, it wasn't. His gut reaction was very much against throwing around such flaky pleasantries, but deep in him, genuinely, he meant it. The relief was honestly divine.

When he looked up, Mikasa was averting her gaze to a moth hovering around the banisters against the ceiling, and her nose was tucked into her old scarf. But her eyes were creased around the corners, and it did not escape him that his subordinate was pleased.

But there wasn't time to enjoy it. In the distance, they both heard the rumbling sound of a heavy, slow gait, one that could only belong to one foul creature. And the words that hung in the air returned, the elephant in the room.

Levi didn't say it. He stayed in his own head, comfortable, soaking in the vision of dust and dirt filtering through the sunlight, and Mikasa staring distantly into the flight pattern of the moth, a shadow in her eyes, hair tucked behind her ears - complemented by a single flower.

It was almost captivating.

"...We need to go soon, sir."

Mikasa's soft voice didn't stir him from his daydream. A strand of dark hair slipped and caught on her eyelashes, but she paid it no mind and reached out, absently letting the moth alight on her fingernail. It flapped its wings in a few short, harsh beats, before settling. Mikasa's eyes were still dark, far away, but he caught her head tilted towards the sound of the titan, still listening carefully as she observed the moth.

He didn't reply. He knew. She'd said the words that they both had on their mind, and Levi now had to steel himself for being directly in the path of danger again.

As for a plan, he'd already tentatively thought it out. He had a solid amount of gas left, definitely enough to make it back and kill whatever titans were in the way, but he'd checked Mikasa's tanks and found her worse off than him. It should've been enough to get her back, too, but she had less room for error than he. But it was Mikasa, and she was capable nearly to a fault. She'd be responsible enough to not be wasteful, right?

Her shifting distracted him, and he saw her mouth turn down in the corner as the moth fluttered away, out the window, her gaze following it forlornly. Maybe it was the medicine, or maybe it was the heat creeping in, or the unfamiliar territory. But Levi absently stroked the silk of his worn cravat, and saw images flash through his head - Mikasa's limbs, gracelessly strewn across the ground; Mikasa's shrieks, filling the air in a way he could barely endure; Mikasa's scarf, ratty and sopping with her blood in a heap on the ground; Mikasa's eyes, and the light leaving them.

"Switch gas tanks with me."

Mikasa's brow knit in the center. "Why?"

"Don't make me spell it out, and don't question me for once."

Unsurprisingly, her calm demeanor went out with the moth, and she scowled.

"I want a good reason."

Her agreeable mood gone, Levi was left with the nagging sensation that was habit - the need to put her back in her place. He knew she had very strong priorities and ambitions when compared to most soldiers, though they weren't quite what they should've been - she was the type to disobey orders, you see, and while he admired her conviction, there was just... _something_ in him that required that submission. Because, if she was running around disobeying orders, she could wreak havoc during a mission, and the importance of that was a hundredfold more paramount in their current predicament. Because she may have been _good_, but she wasn't good _enough_ to act like that. Because she was still a self-righteous brat who dared to defy him so brazenly.

At least, it was what he told himself.

Because also, secretly, he yearned for it. Because Levi received a delicate, heady pleasure out of exerting his power to show someone he was in control, he was above them, he was the one making the calls, he was not to be trifled with unless they desired a harsh and unforgettable punishment.

_This medicine is making me delusional_, he spiritlessly thought to himself, but he was already walking forward, craning his head and narrowing his eyes to dangerous slits as he stared at her.

"Tell me, what drives you to whine like an infant every time I request something of you?" His voice was low, deceptively calm. "Is it because I smacked around your boyfriend a little bit? Do I threaten you with my status and experience, and superior set of skills? Do enlighten me, Ackerman. I am so earnest to know."

He was walking towards her, and she seemed to be standing her ground until her foot moved back. Slowly, patiently, Levi herded her to the wall. He put on his most authoritative drawl as he continued, "I've killed more titans in a day than you have in your short life. And here you are, being belligerent as usual, because you're more inclined to let your petty, personal problems get in the way of our mission succeeding..."

"I am _not_ letting my problems inhibit _anything_-"

He instantly hissed, "Quiet, _girl_."

There it was. Her voice died in her throat, words leaving her tongue in knots, and then, like a switch had flicked, something in the very marrow of her eyes changed. Something softened, something became apparent in way her chin tilted down and she looked affronted but yet could not bring herself to keep arguing. She looked ready to explode, and simply could not.

Obedience. It was sweet, morbid obedience.

Her back was to the wall, and Levi felt his lips curl, leaning in very close to her and letting his fingers drift down an absent strand of her hair, encroaching and dominating her personal space, giving her no room to escape.

"Listen to me," he said quietly, voice both alluring and powerful. "We're going to leave from the north-easternmost segment of the wall, and stick in a close-proximity diagonal position with myself in the front. We will not engage in battle if at all possible - it's important that we conserve our fuel and make it back as soon as possible. If we are forced to engage, let me initiate and follow my lead. Our priority is to end engagement as quickly as possible, without injury, wasteful gas, or drawing in more titans. Understood?"

Mikasa gave him a withering look - pouting, even, for the love of god - and nodded reluctantly. He was making progress.

But, he couldn't resist.

"Use your big girl words, Ackerman."

Mikasa's lip curled. "Yes."

"Yes what."

If asked later, when his heart rate had returned to normal and he'd had time to replay the memory over and over in his head, Levi would have to say that this moment was one of his favorites. Mikasa looked to be melting a little - her eyes, the color and depth of night waters, broke through. There was real vulnerability. He felt far closer to her than he could remember being with anyone, and it was frightening and exhilarating because it was so apparent that she felt it, too, blinking too much and her breath hitching and her lips parting with silent breath. Her brow coiled in, because her mind knew to naturally react with anger, but it was only a half-hearted facade, because then she corrected herself, "Yes, _sir_." And then Levi was lost.

They stood there, silent and miring in the tight air and roiling sensation his and her words had brought upon them. Mikasa looked breathless and Levi had never wanted anything more than to kiss her senselessly. _What a stupid idea_, he thought, though the words felt completely fake. _The medicine is making me a fool_, he thought next, but this felt like a lie, too. _Stop_, he thought, and this thought won.

It took everything - _everything_ - in Levi to pry himself away from Mikasa Ackerman. It was slow, and his gaze remained ever on hers as he drew away, withdrawing his hands from the wall and her hair. It was hard. Miserable. Wrong. The further he pulled away, the more he could see those walls appear in her eyes, shutting him and the rest of the world out in a place where she could be safe. He understood that all too well, understood more than he wanted to. Her posture shifted back into defensiveness, arms crossing and lips pursing, and she rubbed her arm uncomfortably, clearing her throat, but never speaking.

The weight of the situation settled on his shoulders like iron and steel. In a short time, they would be heading out into hell again. Mikasa's life would be in very real danger, as would his. He might see her die, or be violently, permanently harmed. He might have to make the decision to leave her or stay and die with her, if it came to the worst. There was comfort in the knowledge of his skill, and hers, and combined how they'd at least have a fighting chance. And yet...

He took a long drink from his pouch, sighed.

"Let's fill up our canteens and head out. I'd like to get back to the shithole called home."


End file.
